Building The Pipeline Of Disabled Leaders Through International Exchange
Although much discussion has been devoted to the topic of including students with disabilities in study abroad, this session will take this discussion a step further to frame people with disabilities as emerging leaders. How does international exchange have the potential to position people with disabilities as influencers and global change‐makers? Session chair, Susan Sygall, will discuss the impactful role of international exchange in her own leadership trajectory, from being one of the few individuals with a visible disability to study abroad on a Rotary scholarship to pioneering hundreds of cross‐disability international exchange programs to bolster the leadership skills of disabled activists worldwide. Sygall will be joined by an alumna of one of these early disability leadership programs, who will reflect on which specific aspects of her international exchange experience equipped her with the skills needed to become a leader in advocating for the rights of disabled women in Korea and, most recently, to become elected to a position on a key United Nations Committee.
- Ashley Holben and Susan Sygall, MIUSA
- Miyeon Kim, Women with Disabilities Arts and Culture Network